Articles from June 2017

It’s been awhile since I posted a menu, hasn’t it! Between rashes, trips, weddings, and other things, blogging has been on the back burner. One of the negatives from this past week is that I had my phone stolen while we were at a park.

We filed a police report but nothing has come of it so I had to get a new phone. Unfortunately, because I’m a lazy bum, I hadn’t backed up my phone in quite a while. It just is one of those things that I just never seemed to get to on the To Do list. Well, now i’m kicking myself for it because I lost so many pictures. I’m so sad about it. While some didn’t matter, like the ones of the yard or my sewing ideas, many were of the boys and the precious memories I want to keep of them and now they are gone. So whoever you are that has my phone now….I hope you realize it was not just a shiny money maker that you impulsively took but a mama’s memories of her boys. I hope you get lots of money for it and a one major guilt trip.

Anyway, this week, for our menu, we are doing a lot of the same stuff that I’ve posted before, but I figured I would throw it out there in case you mamas needed some quick dinner ideas. I am trying a few new recipes and I’ve been doing some dessert cooking too so I will include those also. Here you are!

Menu

Monday–Memorial Day cookout! We had steak, salad, green beans, and corn on the cob for dinner.

Tuesday–I didn’t shop so we had hamburger helper without the hamburger (which actually, Toby enjoyed better). Dinner was Cashew Chicken (from the blog Together As Family).

Wednesday–Pigs in blankets and chips. Dinner was planned as having Steak and Ale Pie (from the blog Culinary Ginger) but again, I was lazy and we ended up having either pizza or sandwiches. I can’t remember. I will be making it this week.

Thursday–Lunch was Sandwiches and fruit. Dinner–toasted ravioli and salad.

Friday–Chicken strips for lunch. For dinner we had a friend’s night and got together with two other couples. Between the three of us couples, there were 6 kids–all of them boys! We had a great time and lots of laughs and enjoyed hotdogs, pasta, chips and fudge. The boys stayed up super late and we all had a blast.

Saturday–Potpies for the boys for lunch and AJ and I enjoyed a salad with lettuce from our garden. For dinner we are having a pizza and game night with my brothers and my parents.

Ok, so I have been watching The Great British Baking Show. Who knew British desserts could look so good? So I’ve been in the baking mode or rather the sweets mode. I decided to make fudge (from the blog Wine and Glue) for our friends get together and that turned our really well! It had Nutella and was super easy! I threw in some marshmallows and walnut pieces to make it extra yummy.

Also, our raspberry bushes have been going nuts this Spring and so I made a Raspberry Mousse as well. Yummy! I do prefer a mango mousse but raspberries are AJ’s favorite. I will post the recipe for the mousse at the bottom of this post. I also found this recipe for Rosemary Butter Biscuits and thought I’d try these this week and see if it’s something I’m into. AJ likes rosemary.

Ok, on to the shopping list part and really, the only thing I have to say about this is that this week, I had to go to both Aldi and Walmart to get the things on my list because Aldi didn’t have everything. Seven things to be exact. Lemons, Beef Chuck, Fresh Thyme, and some other things. Ok, this part blew my mind. I went to Aldi and got an entire week’s worth of groceries for $66. I went to Walmart and got 7 items (ok, 9 because the boys found Pokemon posters) but I spent $38!!!! More than half of what I spent at Aldi and for so little! Crazy. I can’t understand how I used to justify spending $200 a week shopping strictly at Walmart.

Now, I know Aldi brand stuff sometimes just doesn’t cut it and for those things, like real cream cheese or the good baked beans, I am happy to go to Walmart or Kroger. But in general, we aren’t that picky with our food and saving $100+ a week is such a life saver, especially now that AJ is salaried and gets paid once a month instead of bi-weekly. This adjustment has been rough on me. But honestly, if you haven’t tried Aldi yet, give it a shot! At least for their fresh fruits and veggies and canned goods. I know you’ll save money! (psst–Blueberries are on sale this week for .99/pint!!)

That’s pretty much all I have for this week. There’s been some sewing going on so I’m hoping I can start blogging about that more too. I got all my fabric together for December’s mini quilt and I’m super excited to start it! I also got some AMAZING real Egyptian fabric that my mom and dad picked out for me on their recent trip to Egypt so keep an eye out on the Etsy store for some fun new tote bags!

Mix gelatin and 4 Tbsp of the sugar with the water, microwave until dissolved. This will smell like something died in your microwave but trust me, it's worth it.

Add this mixture to the fruit puree and add the lemon. Stir and put covered in the fridge until it mounds slightly. This means use your spoon to scoop up some and pour it back into the mixture. If it makes a little mound before settling in, it's ready.

Next, beat your egg whites on high while slowly adding the last 2 Tbsp of sugar. Beat until stiff white peaks form. Fold this into your fruit mixture until well mixed.

Next, whip your cream on high until stiff peaks form (for tarter fruit, I usually add 1 or 2 extra Tbsp of sugar to the whipped cream to sweeten it up) and fold this also into the fruit mixture. Once it's all mixed, stick it back into the fridge to chill until firm. Enjoy!